(AP) -- To some, Dr. Salomon Melgen was a miracle worker who brought sight to the blind. To others, he was a smooth political player known for rubbing elbows and jet-setting.

Whichever version of Melgen roused the interest of the FBI, which raided his offices this week, their investigation has illuminated the surgeon's ability to build ties to a host of Democratic lawmakers.

Foremost among them is Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, whose friendship with Melgen has yielded fundraisers, campaign contributions and trips on a private plane. Menendez said this week he did nothing wrong, and flatly denied allegations reported by The Daily Caller, a conservative website, that he traveled on Melgen's plane to the Dominican Republic for sex with prostitutes.

Though facts remain piecemeal, a fuller portrait of Melgen has emerged. There are photos of the beaming doctor sandwiched between Menendez and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a trail of checks written to politicians and a web of business interests that apparently fueled his wealth.

Melgen, 58, is a native of the Dominican Republic who has lived in the U.S. since at least 1980, holding medical posts around the country while building a reputation as a top ophthalmologist. He has a wife and two children.

Calls to his home and office were not answered, but his attorney has said he did nothing wrong.

On the website for his Vitreo-Retinal Consultants Eye Center practice, he is called a pioneer and an innovator, a front-runner in treatment of macular degeneration, a common eye disorder. He has treated "presidents, governors, politicians, celebrities and actors," according to his website.

Patricia Goodman, his office manager and personal assistant for a decade until cancer forced her to quit in 1999, remembers an endless stream of patients coming from all over the world for his care.

"He was just the best surgeon," she said, "and we had people that would come in that were blind and told they would never see again and he brought back their sight."

When Goodman was suffering through cancer, her paychecks never stopped, nor did Melgen's concern. He would often provide his services for free to people who could not afford it.

She's reluctant to say anything negative about him, except to say he was a "ladies man" and liked "living on the edge." She refused to elaborate.

As Goodman remembers it, a single big-name introduction appeared to fuel Melgen's entrance into the world of politics. Then-Gov. Lawton Chiles of Florida, a Democrat, went to Melgen for eye surgery in 1997 and later tapped the doctor for a state panel on HMOs. Not long afterward, he became a reliable donor to Democratic power brokers and a frequent host of fundraisers at both his waterfront, 6,500-square-foot home near North Palm Beach and his house in the Dominican Republic in the exclusive residential resort community of Casa de Campo.

Goodman coordinated logistics for the fundraisers - buffets, bands and a huge patio where revelers could dance. She remembers events with former Sens. Christopher Dodd and Bob Graham and former Dominican President Leonel Fernandez. Melgen basked in the newfound attention.

"He loved the limelight, he loved it," Goodman said. "He loved being with the politicians."